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Justice News

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Western District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Two Connecticut Men Sentenced on Drug Charges

BUFFALO, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Nelson Areizaga-Rosa, 38, and Ricardo Ortiz-Rosa, 42, both of Connecticut, who were convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, were each sentenced to 180 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Duszkiewicz, who handled the case, stated that on March 17, 2011, the defendants were stopped for speeding by a Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputy on I-86 in the Town of Ellicott. The defendants, who are cousins, were later arrested along with two other individuals.

Law enforcement officers subsequently discovered $60,000 in U.S. currency secreted in the spare tire of the vehicle the defendants were riding in, money that represented the proceeds from the sale of two kilograms of cocaine. Officers also seized more than a kilogram of heroin, a quantity of cocaine, and multiple firearms. An additional four defendants were also arrested. During a search warrant later executed at a residence in Campbell, Ohio, officers recovered another $205,000 in U.S. currency. Five vehicles were also seized during the course of the narcotics investigation.

All eight defendants in this heroin trafficking investigation have been convicted.

The sentencings are the culmination of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of James J. Hunt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division, the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, under the direction of Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Lieutenant David Bentley, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Joseph Gerace, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Harry Snellings.